Joseph F. Fender — U.S. Navy — Santa Clarita Valley resident
When Joseph F. Fender was in the Navy, he was assigned to the USS Pearl Harbor while it was being built at the shipyards in Avondale, Louisiana, and was tasked with helping to outfit the ship.
“I thought I was just going to show up and do the job, but I found myself assisting in purchasing the equipment,” he said. “The lines, the ropes, the communication equipment — all the things that I thought I was going to learn how to use, not only did I have to use them, but I had to figure out how to purchase them.”
Fender describes it as having to build a house before ever living in one. “Not only do you not know how to live in it, you don’t know how to build it.”
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“So, we had to build the ship, just so I could figure out how to use the stuff,” he added, chuckling.
Though challenging, these tasks gave him a good perspective on working backward, which is now helping him in his new tasks as a lieutenant at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
“It’s unique because now that we’re building the new sheriff’s station, one of the collateral duties that I just took over is being the liaison for the new station, and I’ve never done that before,” Fender said.
Now, he’ll be instrumental in figuring out what equipment and certifications they’ll need before they even move into the building, which is set to open next year.
“That Navy experience gave me a little bit of perspective that, hopefully, I’ll be able to use when I take on that new job,” he said.
Early life
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Fender was born on June 5, 1975, in Forestville, Maryland. “My dad was in the Marine Corps and he was stationed at 8th & I in Washington, D.C.”
Fender, the oldest of three, was only there for about a year until his family moved back out to California, which is where both of his parents are from.
First, they moved to Sylmar as his father started work with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, then to Palmdale, where he attended elementary school, and finally to Lancaster, where he spent the remainder of his childhood.
“I was one of those kids that went to school every single day,” he said. “From kindergarten to high school, I think I missed three days of school, but when it got towards the end of high school, I really didn’t have an idea what I wanted to do.”
Fender decided to attend Antelope Valley College, which he thought would help him figure it out, but after two semesters he still hadn’t chosen a path.
“My dad was in the Marine Corps, both my grandfathers served in the Korean War, all the way back to the Spanis- American War with my great grandfathers, so I knew I wanted to do something with service, and I knew I didn’t want to stay at home, so I picked the United States Navy.”
Military life
In September 1994, Fender was sent to Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, for boot camp.
“I initially went in to be a sonar tech on submarines, but I changed my mind in boot camp,” he said, adding that after he was exposed to some of his shipmates’ choices, he better understood his options. “I chose the rate of boatswain’s mate, which is the oldest rate in the Navy.”
He spent his first three years stationed in Groton, Connecticut, working on 688 class fast attack submarines at the Naval Submarine Base New London, which is known as the “Home of the Submarine Force.”
Fender worked on the dry dock of a shipping port, where they were charged with the preservation and maintenance of the submarines while they were out of the water, which would last anywhere between two to eight months.
“I joined the Navy to see the world, but I spent the first three years on shore duty,” he said. “I wanted to be on a ship, so I could go see something.”
He left Connecticut headed for Louisiana where the USS Pearl Harbor was being built. “Eventually, when the ship was done, we sailed it back to San Diego where it was homeported. After I had spent three years in the Navy, it was the first time I got to be on a ship.”
While on its way to San Diego, the USS Pearl Harbor made a stop in Hawaii. “We did the actual commissioning ceremony where they slam the champagne bottle into the ship and a parade, all in Pearl Harbor, which was nice because I had never been there before.”
Fender spent the next three years at 32nd Street Naval Station with the USS Pearl Harbor, a landing ship dock, or LSD, used to transport Marines and equipment from place to place.
“The back of the ship will fill up with water and the ship will actually sink in the water, so we can take on hovercrafts or some of the other amphibious crafts,” he said.
Much of that time was spent preparing the ship, going on shakedown cruises where the ship’s performance would be tested to make sure it got all of its certifications. “It was lots of training, lots of drills.”
By the time the ship was situated and ready to deploy, Fender’s enlistment was nearing its end, and he was honorably discharged in February 2000.
Post-military life
Again following in his family’s footsteps, Fender decided he wanted to work in law enforcement and tested for five different departments in the local area.
“My dad, my grandfather and my great-grandfather all worked for this department,” he said regarding the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. “And they were the first ones that called me.”
He knew it’d be similar to what he was accustomed to in the military as law enforcement is portrayed as a paramilitary organization. “And it was. I absolutely believe my military service helped me get hired at the department.”
Many of his classmates while in the Sheriff’s Academy were veterans, and leadership tasked them with being platoon sergeants because of their military experience. “I like doing that stuff. I don’t mind being in charge and taking the handle.”
After graduating, he spent two years working in maximum security at Pitchess Detention Center. “My dad worked court services up in the Antelope Valley for 20 years, so I had seen the inside of jails and lockups before, but to be working inside a jail was a different experience — I enjoyed it.”
Fender worked in the dormitories as a dorm officer, escorting inmates back and forth, as well as in the gang unit for awhile.
“I think there’s a lot of benefits to working the jails before you go out to patrol, because you’re literally meeting and speaking with the people you are going to contact out in town.”
He knew from the first few months working with the gang unit that he enjoyed it. “I just found myself drawn to that. I was very interested in learning about the gang members and the culture inside the jail.”
He then transferred to the Mira Loma Detention Center in Lancaster, which was closer to home for him, and spent another two years there doing the same job until he was ready to go out on patrol.
“Then I transferred to Palmdale, which is where I started my patrol time,” Fender said. “It was nice because I got to patrol the area I was familiar with because I grew up out there, and it was still fairly close to where I was living, so I loved it — I loved everything about patrol.”
He spent just over four years patrolling, working as a field training officer, then as part of the gang enforcement team, before he being promoted to a gang detective.
Around the same time, Fender decided to join the Navy’s active reserves, serving as a military police officer at China Lake. “There’s not a drop of water out there. You’re out in the middle of the desert, testing military aircraft and weapon systems, so for my boatswain’s mate rate, that I was in, it didn’t really translate.”
After about two years, he was promoted to sergeant in the Sheriff’s Department, and decided to retire from the Navy once again to focus on the department.
Fender spent the next few years working in various departments, including gang crimes, narcotics and operations.
“I’ve kind of been all over the place … but I liked them all,” he said, adding that each position had something different to offer. “All the different places give you a different tool set to use in the department, because as you move through the department and you promote, you want to have as many tools — it makes you more well rounded — and is probably helping me be a better lieutenant.”
His family had moved to Santa Clarita by then, but once he was promoted to lieutenant, he was assigned to Lancaster station, where he spent the next four years. “I loved Lancaster … it’s a growing community, so it is by far the busiest station in the department from my perspective in terms of call for service.”
Though he was the operations lieutenant, second in command at the station, the commute was taking time away from his family, so he transferred to the SCV Sheriff’s Station just a few months ago, where he is now working as a watch commander.
As operations lieutenant, Fender didn’t have as much contact with his deputies, so he welcomed the new assignment.
“It’s nice to be able to talk to them on a one-on-one basis and give them advice, not just career advice, but life advice — that’s really rewarding,” he said. “I want them to make smart choices … I want them to have a long, lengthy, happy career so they can go off and enjoy retirement.”
Fender is looking forward to being more involved in the Santa Clarita community. “I’m trying to give back to every community that I’m a part of.”
Family life
Fender met his wife while in the Navy as she, too, was assigned to the USS Pearl Harbor, and now is a nurse. Together, they’ve got three sons, who they’ve also raised to know the value of public service.
His two older boys were both Eagle Scouts. “(They’re) very service-oriented, always giving back to the community.”
His oldest son is in the Coast Guard. “I didn’t know anything about the Coast Guard. It was always looked at like the Navy’s little brother, but the more I learned, the more impressed with the service I was.”
“He’s a boatswain’s mate just like his dad,” he added with a big smile.
His middle son is also very patriotic. “I’m excited to see which branch he goes into.”
And his youngest is only 10, excited to join Scouts next year. “He’s just happy being 10 — he’s got lots of time.”
PPOA Board Elections
Board election ballots and candidate statements were mailed on October 21st to PPOA members in the following LASD classifications:
- Security Assistants
- Security Officers
- LASD Sergeants
- LASD Lieutenants
If you are a dues-paying PPOA member in one of those classifications and have not receive your ballot by October 30th, please call the Unilect balloting firm at (855) 240-0363 and provide your name, employee number, and phone number.
Completed ballots must be mailed back to Unilect or hand-delivered to the locked ballot box in the PPOA lobby by Monday, November 18th at 5:00 p.m. Ballots will be counted on November 20th at 8:30 a.m. in the PPOA conference center.
Candidate statements can be also found in the November issue of Star & Shield magazine.
Week in Review – 10/26/19
Another PPOA Advantage Discount!
We are pleased to announce a new PPOA Advantage discount from SPY OPTIC, a company dedicated to providing exceptional eyewear. This exclusive 40% discount is part of their mission to serve the needs of military and law enforcement by providing eyewear that improves safety, performance and comfort, on duty or off.
We want to thank SPY OPTIC for standing with us and encourage PPOA members to support those who support law enforcement.
Steps to redeem 40% discount:
1. Cut and paste the code below
2. Go to link: https://spyoptic.com
3. Select product product of choice
4. Enter code at checkout: LACOPPOA1940
Week in Review – 10/19/19
Week in Review – 10/12/19
Agreement Reached to Reduce Custody Requirement to THREE YEARS for Lieutenants
PPOA and the Sheriff’s Department have reached an agreement to reduce the Custody Lieutenant five (5) year commitment for patrol certified supervisors to three (3) years.
Please note the following details of the agreement:
- During the duration of the “dual track” program, 50% of Patrol Watch Commander lieutenant vacancies will be filled with existing custody lieutenants who meet or exceed the 3-year or more custody commitment period.
- Transfers for all existing lieutenants will be made based on time in grade as a lieutenant. Department seniority will be used as a tie breaker.
- Existing custody lieutenants who meet the three (3) year or more custody commitment period shall also be permitted to transfer to non-Watch Commander assignments.
“This agreement is the culmination of months of discussions,” said PPOA President Tab Rhodes. “We are grateful to the department for recognizing this disparity in treatment and working with PPOA to resolve the issue. We also want to give special thanks to Undersheriff Murakami and personnel from Employee Relations for making this agreement possible.”
Profiles: Lt. Jennifer Seetoo
Written by Josie Lionetti | Photographed by Julie Wuellner
Malibu Magazine
SINCE HER FIRST DAY AS LIEUTENANT, JENNIFER SEETOO HAS SEEN MALIBU AT ITS LOWEST OF LOWS. YET AMIDST THE DESTRUCTION, SHE HAS BEEN A GUIDING FORCE BEHIND BRINGING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER AND CHANGING IT FOR THE BETTER.
Since becoming Lieutenant at the Lost Hills/Malibu Sheriff’s station, Lieutenant Seetoo has seen Malibu at it’s lowest low. She’s seen friends killed at the Borderline Bar in Thousand Oaks during last year’s mass shooting, neighbors lose their homes, and Malibu’s beautiful landscape engulfed in flames. Yet amidst that destruction, she has been a guiding force behind bringing the community together and changing it for the better.During a recent sit down with Lieutenant Seetoo, she shared how she got to be where she is today, the problems she has already tackled in the community, and what she plans to do moving forward.
What was your law enforcement career like, leading up to becoming Lieutenant of the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station?
“I started in law enforcement when I was only 18 or 19 years old when I worked as a custody assistant,” Seetoo said. She was one of the first women to graduate as an honor recruit from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Academy and graduated top of her class (which she is more than proud to admit). Afterward, she spent time working in the Men’s Central Jail and Century Regional Detention Facility. Following that, she patrolled at Compton station.
In May of 2004, she left the states to work in Iraq. “I may not look like it but when I was in Iraq I worked as a bodyguard and ran convoys from the red zone through the green zone, to the Baghdad International Airport,” Seetoo said. “You really feel like you’re making an impact. You’re saving lives. So it was very rewarding.”
“I was an anomaly over there as a woman,” Seetoo continued, “You don’t see female contractors doing what I was doing.” She would walk through the streets and get to know the people. Even today she is still friends with some of the Iraqis she met during her time there.
After nine months in Iraq, she moved to Jordan, where she spent the next three months training Iraqi police officers. Once her year in the middle east concluded, she returned to the states and began working for the Department of Homeland Security on the Joint Terrorism Task Force. She later went to the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station, where she worked as a sergeant. She also worked as Deputy Director of the Joint Regional Intelligence Center (JRIC), a cooperative effort between United States federal, state and local law enforcement and public safety agencies to address terrorism-related threat intelligence for the greater Los Angeles region.
Three days before the Woolsey Fire began, Lieutenant Seetoo was transferred to the Lost Hill’s Sheriff’s station as the operations lieutenant. Her first day on the job Department Captain Joshua Thai had an emergency medical issue, putting her in charge as the Woolsey fire broke out.
On March 4th, in honor of the work Seetoo did during the fire, and the leadership role she played, Senator Henry Stern named Lieutenant Seetoo as Woman of the Year for the 27th Senate District.
The Woolsey Fire began your third day on the job. What were some of the emotions you experienced as you dealt with the situation?
“Within my first three minutes here, I became the acting captain,” Seetoo said. She explained that in the days leading up to the fire both, the community and herself were still paralyzed by the tragedy at the Borderline Bar & Grill, in which a gunman took 13 lives at the popular Thousand Oaks bar.
“People from my church were killed at borderline,” Seetoo said. Despite her fear, there was no time to panic. Once she got word of the fire, she immediately called Assistant Fire Chief Anthony Williams and began preparing and planning. Before the fire hit Los Angeles County, Williams ordered an evacuation from Valley Circle to Lindero Canyon.
“I was in shock,” Seetoo said. “I couldn’t believe what was happening.” While working tirelessly to evacuate the community, and getting emergency operations underway, she had her own family to worry about, which includes her husband Joseph and two young daughters.
“We ended up having to live in the captain’s office until we could return to our house. It was a devastating time,” Seetoo recalls.
Once the fire jumped the 101 Freeway, it became too big to handle, and incident command stepped in and took over the fire operations. However, her work didn’t end there. Seetoo took charge of the station, where she led to the department as they attempted to handle the situation and the aftermath.
How do you think the community has recovered since Woolsey?
“The way the community came together, I’ve never seen anything like that,” Seetoo said. “I really watched a community rally together, and that was important.” Seetoo held a pancake breakfast during the holidays to show the community how much they matter to her and how grateful she is to have them in her life. Despite the signs of hope that arose from the ashes of Woolsey, Seetoo also saw criticism from those who were reluctant to offer support to a place like Malibu.
“I often hear a lack of sympathy from people, because of Malibu being an affluent area, but that isn’t really true. We have mobile home parks that are just gone,” Seetoo said. “There are normal, everyday people here who lost everything, and they need help just as much as anyone else.”
Now, even though much of the rubble has cleared, and the hillsides bloom with vibrant wildflowers, Seetoo believes the community is still in the process of healing.
“I am happy to be the liaison lieutenant to see the healing, and we must not look back,” Seetoo said. “We can look back to learn lessons, but we must look forward to repair and rebuild.” Despite the difficult tasks she has had to take on as lieutenant, Seetoo is thankful to be where she is.
“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster working for the community, but it has been amazing,” Seetoo said. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
What have you found most challenging about the job?
“The most challenging part of the job is that people look to law enforcement to solve all the problems, and that isn’t really the case. We can only do as much as the law allows us to do,” Seetoo said. “I want to help, but people must understand I can only work within the laws given to me.”
And the most rewarding?
“A big passion of mine is protecting our kids in our schools. The school districts here are amazing and I love working with the community.” Seetoo said.
She has been able to bring people together in this effort, and is continuously impressed by the desire of parents to work in this endeavor. One organization in the area which is part of bettering the community’s schools and the children that attend them is something known as Armory of Harmony. The organization was founded by Richard Gibbs, who is also a founding member of the Malibu Cultural Arts Commission. Armory of Harmony is an organization that melts down guns and turns them into musical instruments to put back into schools.
“Working with organizations like this, and the Boys and Girls Club, are the things that I enjoy doing the most—making an impact on the community,” Seetoo said.
What are some of the top issues you want to tackle as Lieutenant?
When she began her position, it was important for Seetoo to hear what concerns the community had and what changes they wanted to see.
“When you reach out to the community, they come up with these great ideas,” Seetoo said. “It’s really important to include the community on the plans, even as we prepare for things like fires.”
One of the main concerns Seetoo has already worked on, is the issue of homelessness in Malibu.
Following complaints from parents regarding the safety around Malibu Library and Legacy Park, Seetoo led an initiative to clean up the park.
Along with other deputies, she brought in special teams from the city and Los Angeles County to help with the project. The homeless teams often included veterans and even people who had been homeless themselves.
State senator Henry Stern named Lieutenant Seetoo ‘Woman of the Year’, 2019, for the 27th Senate District.
“It was neat to watch the interaction [between the teams and those in the park] and gaining the trust of that individual,” Seetoo said.
Seetoo is extremely proud of the work she and her deputies have done with the park, and not only what was done, but how it was done.
“We did a great job with the park and I think the public saw we do care about people and people’s safety,” Seetoo said. “We did it in such a way where it touched people’s hearts. The humanitarian aspect of it really moved the community.”
Not only does Seetoo believe the community has benefited from the cleanup, but that those homeless individuals have benefited as well.
“We have gotten people permanent housing out of it, medical help…it’s been amazing and unique to see,” Seetoo said. “We are continuing to keep Legacy Park what it’s supposed to be—a park for everyone to come and enjoy.”
On top of the homeless problem in Malibu, another one of the concerns community members have raised is traffic.
“A lot of people complain, so we listened to the community, sat down, and created a plan,” Seetoo said. The first part of that plan has been a bike patrol in the Civic Center area.
“Malibu has never had a bike patrol and now it enables people to respond more quickly to deal with a situation,” Seetoo said.
On top of the bike team, Seetoo devised another plan which involved sectioning Malibu in four quadrants, with deputies in each quadrant.
“The goal is to increase visibility. We are dealing with people parking in incorrect lanes, stopping to get into a valet…the point is to try and keep traffic moving. I know this traffic team we created will save lives,” Seetoo said. “It may not solve the traffic problem but it will save lives, and that brings me peace.”
What makes Malibu different from other places you have worked before?
“Malibu is this amazing electric community. In other areas, people are so individualistic, but Malibu is this thriving, community-oriented, and special place. It’s close-knit and the people here are so different, yet they are able to come together and mesh. It’s a special place. There is nothing like Malibu.” MM
Workers’ Comp and Disability Retirement Seminar
As many PPOA members are aware, trying to navigate workers compensation can be an overwhelming experience. Fortunately, we know some of the most trusted experts in the business and they will be at PPOA on Saturday, November 2nd to help PPOA members make informed, intelligent decisions regarding workers compensation and retirement planning. This seminar will be hosted by our friends at Straussner Sherman and is FREE to all PPOA members but space is limited in our conference so please RSVP as soon as possible.
WORKERS COMP & RETIREMENT STRATEGIES
Free Seminar for PPOA Members
Hosted by Straussner Sherman
Saturday, November 2, 2019
PPOA Conference Center
188 E. Arrow Highway, San Dimas 91773
10 AM – 1 PM
Topics:
- Navigating the Workers’ Compensation System
- Return to Work Policies / IOD Status & IOD Pay
- Obtaining Medical Care in the Work Comp System
- Service Connected Disability Retirements
- Presumptions
- York to Sedgwick transition
- Question & Answer Session
Seating is limited. RSVP to (323) 261-3010 or sschreck@ppoa.com